stories
stronger with every struggle
October 16, 2019I came across your page and two bracelets really caught my eye. The “stronger with every struggle” and the “overcome” one. My story is very long so I will try to just shorten it to the last 5-6 months. November 25th, 2018 my life changed drastically. I was in my dorm room heading out when I opened the door and my mom and sister were standing in the doorway. I was confused, but happy to see them. I asked them what they were doing driving 2.5 hours from home on a Sunday night. My mom broke down in tears and told me that my dad had passed away. My dad had a heart attack in his sleep and died alone in a hotel room. At that moment time froze and I didn’t know what to think or do. My passion is soccer and my dad shared that with me at a very young age. He was the reason I started and now the reason I will never stop playing. Less than two months later I flew to Chicago with my mom for the NWSL (national women’s soccer league) draft. Hoping to continue my dreams and continue my dads legacy. On January 11, 2019 my name was called in the first round and 9th overall for the reigning champions, NC Courage. In that moment I was feeling so many emotions I couldn’t even put them into words. I knew my dad was looking down on me and so proud of me. On April 8, 2019 I signed my first professional contract. On that night I cried because of how much it took me to get to that point and how happy I was to get there but also how sad I was I couldn’t share it with my dad. On April 9, 2019 I tore my ACL (for the second time in 3 years). In this moment I was broken. Playing soccer is what connected me to my dad the most so the thought of going without that for 9 months tore me apart. 48 hours later a flip switched and I remembered how far I had come. Since I was a kid I had to overcome so many things that got me where I am today. Surprisingly, with every struggle I got stronger and stronger. Now I am 2 weeks post ACL surgery working to get back to playing with my team and feeling stronger than ever. That is why those two bracelets inspired me the most.